Electronic gaming machine with wireless communication capabilities

Abstract

The present disclosure relates generally to gaming machines, systems, and methods. As an example, a method is disclosed that includes enabling a user to interact with a game of chance via a user interface device of the electronic gaming machine, storing an amount of credit available for the player to play the game of chance in a credit meter, presenting the amount of credit available to the user via the user interface device, providing information from the credit meter to a wireless communication assembly, and transmitting, with the wireless communication assembly, the information from the credit meter to a game management system.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An electronic gaming machine, comprising:
 a user interface device; 
 a processor coupled with the user interface device; 
 a wireless communication assembly; 
 a credit meter that stores an amount of credit available for a user to play a game of chance; 
 a computer-readable storage medium coupled with the processor and comprising instructions that:
 enable the user to interact with the game of chance via the user interface device; 
 present the amount of credit available to the user via the user interface device; and 
 determine a value stored by the credit meter has changed to an updated value while the user is interacting with the game of chance; 
 wherein the wireless communication assembly comprises:
 a data interface that receives, from the processor, the value and the updated value from the credit meter; 
 memory that temporarily stores the value and the updated value from the credit meter; and 
 an antenna that wirelessly transmits the value and the updated value from the credit meter to a distributed game management system. 
 
 
 
     
     
       2. The electronic gaming machine of  claim 1 , wherein the wireless communication assembly further comprises:
 a Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) card that stores a mobile number associated with the wireless communication assembly and a key, wherein the mobile number and the key are used by the wireless communication assembly to enable the distributed game management system to identify and authenticate the electronic gaming machine from among other electronic gaming machines. 
 
     
     
       3. The electronic gaming machine of  claim 2 , wherein the wireless communication assembly communicates with the distributed game management system via a cellular connection and wherein control data is provided from the distributed game management system to the wireless communication assembly via the cellular connection. 
     
     
       4. The electronic gaming machine of  claim 3 , wherein the control data comprises game configuration data, wherein the game configuration data is communicated from the wireless communication assembly to the processor via the data interface, and wherein the computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions that:
 update the game of chance based on the game configuration data received from the wireless communication assembly. 
 
     
     
       5. The electronic gaming machine of  claim 3 , wherein the control data comprises an output of a Random Number Generator (RNG) and wherein the output of the RNG is provided from the distributed game management system to the processor to control an action of the game of chance. 
     
     
       6. The electronic gaming machine of  claim 1 , wherein the computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions that:
 monitor an elapsed time since the processor last provided the updated value from the credit meter to the wireless communication assembly; 
 compare the elapsed time with a threshold elapsed time; 
 determine the elapsed time exceeds the threshold elapsed time during an individual gaming session played by the user; and 
 transmit the updated value from the credit meter to the wireless communication assembly in response to determining that the elapsed time exceeds the threshold elapsed time during the individual gaming session played by the user. 
 
     
     
       7. The electronic gaming machine of  claim 1 , wherein the computer-readable storage medium further comprises:
 machine state information that describes a current state of the electronic gaming machine; and 
 instructions that transmit the machine state information to the wireless communication assembly for further transmission to the distributed game management system. 
 
     
     
       8. The electronic gaming machine of  claim 1 , wherein the computer-readable storage medium further comprises:
 instructions that enable the user to login to the distributed game management system prior to interacting with the game of chance; and 
 instructions that transmit player profile information to the wireless communication assembly for further transmission to the distributed game management system when the user is logging into the distributed game management system. 
 
     
     
       9. The electronic gaming machine of  claim 1 , wherein the computer-readable storage medium further comprises instructions that:
 present, via the user interface device, an interaction window that facilitates communications between the user and support personnel located remotely with respect to the electronic gaming machine, wherein communication data exchanged between the user and the support personnel passes through the data interface and the antenna. 
 
     
     
       10. The electronic gaming machine of  claim 1 , wherein the data interface comprises a bi-directional data interface and wherein system updates are received at the antenna from the distributed game management system and then provided to the processor via the bi-directional data interface to enable the processor to update the electronic gaming machine with the system updates. 
     
     
       11. A system, comprising:
 a first data interface; 
 a processor coupled with the first data interface; 
 a computer-readable storage medium coupled with the processor and comprising instructions stored thereon that are executable by the processor, wherein the instructions comprise instructions that:
 enable a user to interact with a game of chance; 
 collect and store gameplay information describing the user's interactions with the game of chance; and 
 transmit the gameplay information describing the user's interactions with the game of chance via the first data interface; and 
 a wireless communication assembly, comprising:
 a second data interface that receives the gameplay information describing the user's interactions with the game of chance transmitted by the first data interface; 
 memory that stores the gameplay information describing the user's interactions with the game of chance; and 
 an antenna that wirelessly transmits the gameplay information describing the user's interactions with the game of chance to a distributed game management system. 
 
 
 
     
     
       12. The system of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 a data transmission medium that couples the first data interface with the second data interface; and 
 a Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) card that stores a mobile number associated with the wireless communication assembly and a key, wherein the mobile number and the key are used for identification and authentication with the distributed game management system. 
 
     
     
       13. The system of  claim 12 , wherein the wireless communication assembly communicates with the distributed game management system via a cellular connection and wherein control data is provided from the distributed game management system to the wireless communication assembly via the cellular connection. 
     
     
       14. The system of  claim 11 , wherein the gameplay information describing the user's interactions with the game of chance comprise player profile information, historical game usage information, and information from a credit meter. 
     
     
       15. The system of  claim 14 , wherein the instructions further comprise:
 instructions that monitor an elapsed time since the processor last provided information from the credit meter to the wireless communication assembly; 
 instructions that compare the elapsed time with a threshold elapsed time; 
 instructions that determine the elapsed time exceeds the threshold elapsed time; and 
 instructions that transmit updated information from the credit meter to the wireless communication assembly in response to determining that the elapsed time exceeds the threshold elapsed time. 
 
     
     
       16. The system of  claim 11 , wherein the processor is configured to receive control data from the distributed game management system via the wireless communication assembly, wherein the control data comprises an output of a Random Number Generator (RNG), and wherein the output of the RNG is provided from the distributed game management system to the processor to control an action of the game of chance. 
     
     
       17. A method of operating an electronic gaming machine, the method comprising:
 enabling a user to interact with a game of chance via a user interface device of the electronic gaming machine; 
 storing an amount of credit available for the user to play the game of chance in a credit meter; 
 presenting the amount of credit available to the user via the user interface device; 
 providing, with a processor, information from the credit meter to a wireless communication assembly; and 
 transmitting, with the wireless communication assembly, the information from the credit meter to a distributed game management system. 
 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 storing, with a Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) card, a mobile number associated with the wireless communication assembly and a key; and 
 authenticating the electronic gaming machine with the mobile number and the key. 
 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 receiving, at the processor, control data transmitted by the distributed game management system; and 
 updating the game of chance based on the control data. 
 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 receiving a subscription request that comprises a mobile number associated with a mobile device of the user; 
 storing the subscription request and the mobile number in memory of the electronic gaming machine; 
 determining that a change in machine state has occurred; and 
 in response to determining that the change in machine state has occurred, transmitting an update to the mobile number associated with the mobile device of the user, wherein the update transmitted to the mobile number associated with the mobile device of the user comprises a description of the change in machine state.